Wednesday, January 24, 2018

What did Donald Trump do today?

He confused crimes with criminal defense.

During an impromptu press conference before his trip to Switzerland, Trump once again complained about the Mueller investigation, saying that his actions since the FBI began investigating were being misinterpreted: "You fight back, oh, it’s obstruction."

It's certainly true that Trump is entitled to "fight back" against the perception that he has committed crimes, and to put up a vigorous legal defense if and when he is charged with a crime. As anyone suspected of a crime would be legally permitted to do, Trump has already "fought back" in a number of ways: he's hired lawyers, begged for money with which to pay lawyers, publicly protested his innocence, and negotiated with investigators about what he'd be willing to discuss in the absence of a subpoena. And above all, Trump is entitled to "fight back" by simply invoking his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination.